Hi,I am new to this board and to Harleys in general, so I'll start with a little intro....

I have built numerous cars over the past 20 years and now own a '32 Ford sedan hot rod built i 1940's style, plus a '49 Cadillac Fastback (original but lowered)I do most work in my garage and have a generally good understanding of most any kind of mechanics, making this a great hobby My goal in life is to try not to die curious, leading me to get a bike license (at the age of 41..... go figure, haha!) and finding a freshly restored '42 WLC. I bought the bike from the widow of the man who built it.I later found out that he was a renowned engine builder.

To the question at hand!

My bike was never started..... the builder died before getting to that so I had to do minor assembly work before I could start her up.It started up pretty easy but seemed reluctant to take any kind of revs above 1/3 on the handle.To make things clear, it has the original Linkert M88 carb, an Edbeyond2000 electronic module in the OEM distributor and I converted it to 12 volt with a new coil and G.E generator with an electronic regulator.

I have tried to ride the bike in 1st gear and opening the throttle..... it stalls and then I have tried to shut the choke a notch or two to force feed it, but no reaction.I have taken the carb completely apart and found the venturi to have a loose fit, so in an effort to prevent a false air pass I put a layer of teflon tape around the venturi to make a tight seal in the carb bore, which it then had.

As mentioned above, I have no real knowlege in the how's and to's with these bikes as it is all new to me, so I would appreciate some oppinions in relation to my problems.

Please note when bubble-testing that a constant, regulated air supply is required, not just a shot through a Schrader valve; Small fissures will take up to a half-minute to display themselves as blisters of fine foam.A #8 rubber stopper works best for testing the nipples separately.

If the nipples are sealed, but the brass ferrules are un-friendly, the modern alternative to brass is a material called PEEK.

I got a loaner carb that was known to work, but befor installing that I attended the intake issues.Did a pressure test and of course it was leaking heavily at the front cylinder and a bit at the rear cylinder.Took the intake to bits and cleaned it thoroughly with brake cleaner (complete degrease) and reassembled, making sure to seal everywhere with heat resistant silicone sealant, especially between the brass and the intake itself.

I then left it to cure for four hours and put the carb back on....... fired it up and it ran good all the way up.I still need to do minor adjustments and will probably buy a new intake and fittings in the future, but it is great to have her running finally!!